LAPORTEA AESTUANS (URTICACEAE), UNA NUEVA ESPECIE ADVENTICIA EN ARGENTINA.

Background and aims: Laportea aestuans (Urticaceae) is an herb possibly native to Madagascar (Africa) and widely distributed in the tropics and subtropics of the world. In the Americas, it have been reported as a weed from southern United States of America and throughout Central America to South America in Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Colombia, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. The aim of this paper was to report the presence of L. aestuans in Argentina for the first time. M&M: For the morphological description and illustrations, live plants from our collections were studied in addition to other herbarium specimens. Our specimens were deposited in the Herbarium LIL. Type and non-type specimens preserved in BR, COL, K, LINN and the original description were analyzed. Results: A morphological description of the species is provided together with illustrations, photographs and a key to differentiate Laportea from the other genera of Urticaceae present in Argentina. Conclusions: The presence of L. aestuans in Argentina is recorded for the first time. According to previous research, it is a species that exhibits a potentially invasive behavior, so there is the possibility that it may establish itself as a weed in natural environments and cause detrimental impacts on biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]